" For example, the abortion rate for women in the 30-34 age group has risen by around 10 per cent in the past three years, which is in stark contrast to other countries like New Zealand, where the rate has decreased by 5 per cent over the same period."
There has always been contraceptive failure. And there always will be. No method is 100%, and never has been, even when used correctly. In the past I would think that most couples (I'd assume ages 30-34 would predominantly be in couples/families) finding themselves with an unplanned pregnancy would have gone into shock for a day and then gone ahead with a slightly bigger family than they had really planned for. Personally I have quite a few friends who could say they fell into this category, but since I am 49 we're talking about unplanned pregnancies 10-20 years ago.
But that was then. When you could run a house on one salary; when, if your house was too small for another child you could move to a bigger one; when childcare was less expensive if both of you worked. Now, in the current economic climate, it is far harder to stretch to that.
You mostly need two salaries, so another child means more childcare costs. This country has the highest costs in Europe I believe? So expensive that these costs can outstrip one of your salaries (the so-called http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/sep/01/soaring-childcare-costs-work-nothing position). So then you've got to make that decision, does one of you become a SAHP and kiss their pension/career goodbye, knowing that they'll probably be relegated to minimum wage jobs after being out of the job market for a few years? Very risky. And one hell of a big change to your life and your financial future. (And as an aside, you've only got to read the MN boards for a while to see how many women get shafted post-divorce by deadbeat dads. No matter how secure you believe your marriage to be, it is only sensible not to allow yourself to become so financially vulnerable.)
And as for moving to a bigger house - ahahahahahahahahaha! Even if you are not currently in negative equity; even if the equity you have left will stretch to a deposit; even if the banks will give you a mortgage; it is a HUGE cost these days. Houses are so expensive; rents are just as bad. And at the back of your mind is the belief that the housing market is still a bubble waiting to burst; and if you bite the bullet and take on that bigger mortgage it could all go horribly wrong and you will be the one who bought at the top of the market and lived the rest of your life in negative equity, unable to downsize, move or in any way dig yourself out of that hole. Again; very, very risky.
So, faced with this huge risk to the finances of your entire family, already existing as well as not-yet-existing - what is the sensible thing to do? You're happy with the current size of your family. You had no intention of getting pregnant. It's not just an accident, it's a potential disaster.
Of course more women in the 30-34 age group are opting for abortion in the face of an unplanned pregnancy. The only surprise is that the rate has risen by only 10 per cent in the past three years. It helps enormously that the stigma of having an abortion has largely disappeared, for which I am thankful. There are circumstances where it is by far the best option you have.